Based in Germany's oldest city with a significant Roman history, three church buildings have stood on the site since the 4th century.

[1][4][5] Felix originally dedicated the church (and associated monastery) to the Theban Legion,[5] martyred, according to legend, near Agaunum (present-day Saint Maurice-en-Valais) for refusing to renounce their Christian beliefs.

[1] Smaller than the present building, the basilica featured a twin-tower façade with staircases either side, not unlike the balconies on the west face of the Cathedral of Trier, built for displaying relics to the public.

[1][4] Sixty years after the destruction of the second church by French troops, Franz Georg von Schönborn-Buchheim, Archbishop of Trier, funded the erection of a new basilica.

As well as being the architect of the building, Neumann contributed his Rococo architectural flair to several internal elements, including the stucco work, ornate altars, and ciborium.

[1][4] The ceiling of the nave features a large fresco painted by Christoph Thomas Scheffler, portraying scenes from the life of St Paulinus and depictions of the martyrdom of the Theban Legion.

The martyrdom of the Theban Legion is commemorated each year in October by opening the crypt to visitors who wish to view the tombs of the Roman soldiers interred there.